The Best of The Waterboys ’81-’90 is a 1991 collection covering the formative years of the group between 1981 to 1990. Selling over 100,000 copies in the UK on its original release, the collection moves from their rock origins through to their Celtic folk-rock periods personally selected by band leader Mike Scott.

The long overdue repress features the timeless classics “The Whole of The Moon” and “Fisherman’s Blues,” along with renowned tracks of their early period, including “A Girl called Johnny,” “All the Things She Gave Me,” and “A Bang on the Ear,” along with an exclusive outtake “Killing My Heart” and a rousing live version of “Old England.”

This compilation is an excellent discovery point for anyone interested in the gorgeous complexity of the Waterboys’ music.
-Mike DeGagne, AllMusic, 4.5/5
Features
Vinyl LP
3mm Outer Spine Sleeve
Printed Inner Sleeve
Selections
Side 1:

A Girl Called Johnny
The Big Music
All the Things She Gave Me
The Whole of the Moon
Spirit
Don’t Band the Drum
Side 2:

Fisherman’s Blues
Killing My Heart
Strange Boat
And a Band on the Ear
Old England [Live]
A Man Is in Love